A Walk in Paradise
by Cassandra IV
Summary: It sucks to be a princess. In response to her restricting lifestyle, Zelda leaves the castle to pursue her freedom. Unsurprisingly, she finds herself lost and her only hope to returning would be the assistance of a certain Hylian boy. Please try and R&R?


Title: One Walk in Paradise

Author: Victoria Tang

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**Chapter One**

She did not belong here. She was royalty, adamant and proud. The epitome of class.

And she just leapt over a log, tripped over a fog, and fell flat on her face in the mud.

The lack of continuity was stunning. Earlier that morning, she had been in the palace garden tossing golden coins into the fountain. Now not only was she penniless and had no visible indication of wealth presently, but she was trudging ankle-deep in sludge.

She could just imagine what her childhood mentor would say if she had managed to make her way back to the palace in one piece. "I am capable of making allowances for your youth," she mimicked shrilly, doing an unfair exaggeration of Impa. "But I cannot even fathom why you would willingly compromise your life of luxury by leaving the palace unattended."

"You're right, as per usual," the princess would reply back as sincerely as she could muster, "I can only make apologies for my juvenile behavior." Even though she was speaking to a mere figment of her imagination, the intense feelings of cognitive dissonance were difficult to subdue as she played the role of the solemn, disciplined member of the royal family who had suffered a temporary lapse in judgment.

Truthfully, the last thing that she would want to do was apologize for her latest act of recklessness. But she was a teenager. She was allowed to make mistakes. Was it so sinful to desire seeing a horizon that stretched farther than from one side of her window to the other? Never once had she stepped outside of the cold, passive castle walls, even escorted by an army of spear-sporting steel boxes that called themselves soldiers.

She'd always imagined a world outside full of warmth and pleasant sights that she could always see but never was able to touch. She'd always daydream of wandering so far out just so she could see where the world ended; how far she could go before she was in danger of falling off the side.

Her dissociative strategy was rudely interrupted when a stone caught her foot by surprise and caused her entire body to unexpectedly lurch forward and take a plunge. Okay, so perhaps tonight's weather conditions didn't paint the vivid picture she had thought about. Why was it that the rain brought such impossible walking conditions? She hoisted herself up onto her elbows with a very unsophisticated grunt, and let out a whimper as she felt the mud seeping in through her clothes and up against her skin.

The pampered lord's daughter Zelda had finally made it out of the palace. But now that she was out, what was she to do? The constant drumming of the rain had fast washed off whatever color there had once been and replaced it with a bleached beige covered by the charming shade of mud.

Pulling the heavy cloak around her shoulders over her head and closer to her body for warmth, she turned three hundred and sixty degrees to analyze her surroundings. She saw each individual needle of rain surrounding her, nothing more. The heavy mist made it impossible.

Despite her resolve not to, she was gradually beginning to wish more and more to be in her bedroom right now—safe, dry, and warm. Not to mention clean.

Suddenly, a silhouetted figure on what appeared to be a horse emerged from the invisibility of the fog. "Impa?" Zelda called out, allowing a splinter of hope spark inside of her as the figure drew closer. "Is that you? Oh, thank goodness you've found me!"

Although, rationally-speaking, what were the chances that Impa would notice her absence so quickly after she'd left, considering all the precautions she had taken beforehand to prevent being found missing earlier? Also, that was not Impa's habitual choice of mare. She could hear the horse's hooves thump down hard against the earth, evenly matching her heavy breaths as she pressed her hands against her chest to steady her pounding heart.

It couldn't be. A Gerudo? She felt a haze fall over her eyesight at the possibility. Alanna's older brother, a soldier, made it a point to emphasize the horrible stories of the barbarous bandits that wreaked havoc in the far corner of Hyrule. But this was north—too far north. They wouldn't risk wandering this far out, would they?

The horse was literally right beside her now, and the rider didn't seem to notice her. Standing still and hoping it would stay that way, she gave out a loud shriek when the figure shifted and tumbled right on top of her, his heavy body making it rather hard to breathe.

Whoever it was certainly was not Impa, but fortunately it was no Gerudo either.

If she could scream, she would have, if only her lungs hadn't felt so crushed in her chest and her throat hadn't felt so dry. Without the strength or energy to fight against the heavy figure, she closed her eyes and tuned out the happenings of this miserable night.

She thought about a memory of her mother picking flowers before she passed away. Even though the Imperial Doctor managed to get to her mother in less than half a minute's time, there was no movement as she was literally surrounded. She simply looked up into the sky as if everyone else's concern was none of hers.

When she finally found the courage and will to reopen her eyes, the piercing brightness of the blinding sight of the sun forced them back closed. Miraculously, between that time at night she had fallen unconscious and the time right now, the weather had completely changed.

Sitting up groggily, Zelda pressed a hand up to her forehead before jerking it back immediately in disgust. It was coated with a dried layer of mud. "Oh, gross!" Leaping to her feet with surprising energy, she began scraping off the dirt that had been caked onto her with extra vigor. Never had she felt so unhygienic in her life. Her fancy dress was now torn, tattered, and resembled that which would've been on a mere peasant. Her headdress was gone, and ironically the only thing that seemed relatively clean on her person was her hair which had been sheltered mostly by the heavy cloak she'd had on.

"So it wasn't a dream," she murmured as she plucked off several leaves from nearby trees with remaining droplets of rain on them and smudged them against her face to clean off some of the remaining mud. Somebody had fallen on her last night, that was for sure. But who had it been? All thoughts flew from her head as her entire body stiffened when she felt the cold point of a blade directed at the arch of her back.

"And who are you? Identify yourself, wench!"

Oh, boy. This boy so did not just say that. "_Wench?_ I beg your pardon, smelly boy, but don't you have parents?" She had never once heard someone behave so insolently before in her life, especially towards her. Outraged was putting the emotion mildly. Clearly he hadn't been very well raised.

At the risk of being sliced like sashimi on a festival evening, the headstrong princess whirled her body around to catch sight of the perpetrator. She was immediately taken aback to see… a boy. Certainly, she'd seen those of his gender before. Seniors. Soldiers. Fathers. But never, _ever_ a boy her age. Immediately regaining her composure, she smacked away the blade that had been raised to her throat with her left hand.

Upon seeing her face, the boy seemed equally as surprised to see a girl as she pulled off her heavy cloak and flung it as far as she could make it go. It fell flatly against the ground about a foot away with an unenthusiastic splat. "I really don't see how my name is of any concern to you."

Lowering the blade, the surprisingly pretty sun-haired boy eyed her up and down before concluding that not only was she not a threat, but she was also unworthy of anything that even remotely resembled decorum.

"A peasant girl. And a filthy one at that." She noticed that his lip curled a little in disgust as he continued. "You're not a comfort woman, are you?"

A comfort woman. A _comfort_ woman? Why, she could kill him. Words could not explain how unladylike her current thoughts were, and if imagination could transform into reality he would be suffering a very testosterone-free life.

Before she could even make a witty retort, all attention on her seemed to be lost as he seemed very preoccupied all of a sudden with his surroundings. Absentmindedly jerking in all directions and craning his neck to peer behind large rocks or behind trees, he stamped hard on the ground doing a perfect imitation of a five-year-old. "Shit! Epona? Navi! Where are you?"

What with his constant rustling, Zelda nearly had to break her neck trying to lean in and focus her eyesight on the golden lettering that had been sewn onto the hem of his tunic. Courtesy of Saria, back from Kokiri Forest. "Link, is it? Well, I don't know what it is you're asking for, ranting and raving like a lunatic on crack, but—"

"How did you know my name? More importantly, where did you take Epona, woman?"

"Good goddesses in the skies above. Do you honestly expect to get answers from anybody with an inquiry like _that_?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically and feeling her own sense of manners slip away. "I did not take part in stripping you of whatever it is you believe is so precious, nor do I intend to."

She was simply stared at for a moment or two, as if being assessed of her truthfulness with his divine wisdom when finally Link turned away. "Figures you'd be as useless as you look. I'll just have to find them for myself." He actually began to meander off when he was smoked in the back of the head with a renegade shoe that had been chucked with impressive accuracy.

"Smelly boy! Get back here this instant!"

"What the- who do you think you are, anyway? A princess? Stop acting so snobby when you're nothing more than a commoner!"

"Listen, Mr. Holier-Than-Thou, your sanctimonious ego may reward you with a disposition that makes others view you as the archetypal idiot, but you're nothing more than an angsty teenager. Now, you don't know me, so I shall tell you this once- but I _am_ a princess, and this little endeavor has—"

Her pains to reveal her identity was annoyingly rewarded with a very rude burst of laughter.

"You?" The word came out something between a choke and a laugh." A princess? That's hilarious. Even if I looked past the part where you talk like a ranch girl with bigger words, you certainly physically don't fit the profile. Last time I checked, the King's daughter was beautiful and essentially a Paragon of Virtue. A _clean_ Paragon of Virtue."

"Well, my apologies that I cannot be such an epitome after having spent the night being sandwiched between mud and one ungrateful sword-wielding baby. I'm sure you don't believe me, which should give you all the more incentive to bring me back to the castle so that I may prove you wrong. You will be rewarded," she added as an afterthought, "generously for your efforts."

Link cracked an annoyingly charming lopsided grin. "For someone who claims these lands are in the palm of her hand, you sure aren't very familiar with them."

He almost expected her temper to flare and have her storm off like a creampuff princess, but instead her gaze lowered solemnly to the ground. "You know what? Forget it. Perhaps I shouldn't be following you anyways. You're most likely just lost."

Link immediately froze, and whirled around to face her. "Could it be? A sorceress?" He whipped out his sword again, a sheen of panic over his eyes. Paranoia may be useful, but honestly, being conditioned to threaten people with sharp pointy objects at first sign of panic may not be the very best idea.

Raising one hand, a blue light glowed from her fingertips and with one pretty flick of the wrist, the sword short straight out of his hands and into hers. "I may not be a sorceress, but I _am_ a competent wielder of magic. Let me suggest a proposition: you get me back to the castle to your best ability, and I shall return your rusty sword back."

"That Biggoron Sword is priceless, and in no way is it rusty. I'll give you three seconds to give it back." Link ground out after an impressive string of curses.

"And I shall give you ten seconds to get your bearings and figure out where we are." Zelda replied, as the sword disappeared with a wave of magic. "Although at your mental pace, I'm sure I could figure it out before you~" she joked as she twirled away. In a matter of seconds, Link was close on her trail and she quickly found her playful skipping turn into a mad sprint for whatever reason. Never feeling so liberated in her life, Zelda burst out laughing as the grass was cool and slightly wet against her feet while the warm air swam through her hair.

Unable to restrain a couple breaths of laughter himself, Link finally managed to grasp her wrist just in time to send the both of them tumbling through the grass, adding green stains to the muddy designs of their clothing.

"Not very fit, are you?" Teased Zelda between pants as the both of them were nearly convulsing trying to catch their breaths. She rolled over on her side and peered over at Link. "I never even properly introduced myself. My name is Zelda." Finally, she was able to sit up and analyze their new surroundings. The first thing that caught her attention was one gigantic gate that had been put there for a reason unknown to her. The second was a ladder that kind of defeated the purpose of the gate.

"Salt." Link observed as he followed her gaze. "I can smell it. I think the ocean is nearby." Getting to his legs, he was quiet for a moment before offering her his hand. "Fine, do things your way. If you promise not to deter me in any way, you may safeguard my sword until we reach the castle. I'm actually quite curious to see how you'll manage to prove your point to me."

Now that the mud had the chance to clear off of her and he had the opportunity to see her up close and laughing, Link hated to admit that Zelda was really very pretty. Even caked in a layer of dirt she was more beautiful than any female he'd ever come across yet.

Of course, that was his hormones talking. His irresponsible, irrational hormones talking. Of course there were bound to be more beautiful women in the world, he just hadn't met them yet. This belief crumbled a bit when she gave him a warm smile and stated that she knew he'd come to see things her way, but he shook off the annoying attraction and began scaling the ladder that she had already scrambled up on.

"A Zora! It's a Zora, isn't it?" Zelda breathed in fascination as the two of them approached the waters. Her eyes never leaving the specimen in question, she grabbed onto the front of his shirt with both hands excitedly. "I've never seen one besides King Zora and Princess Ruto of their tribe. They're so beautiful!"

Genuinely perplexed at how delighted Zelda was. She was ecstatic to be seeing a... very big fish. Okay, no. A very big fish would be Lord Jabu Jabu. He had his own fair share of horrors as a child. Could she really be...?

"Here, I have a map." Link said hoarsely, ignoring the thought that crossed his mind just then. Unrolling a roll of parchment, he cleared his throat. "We're here. Lake Hylia. Now I can easily tell where it is we're going to go. Do you know how to swim?"

"By fluttering around, I know enough to save my life. But at least I know this way it'll give me the opportunity to clean some of this dirt off of me. Will we need to go far?"

"Let's hope not. But you never know who will be willing to let us stay for the night. Let's swim over there." Link pointed to a building across the lake. "It's the Fishing Area. Perhaps we'll be able to get some information while we're there."

"Okay," Zelda agreed hesitantly. "Just to warn you, I've never fished before."

And thirty minutes later, Link knew that was for the better.

"_Gah_!" Letting out a shrill, high-pitched shriek as a salmon slapped upwards with its tail, she released the rod and stumbled backwards only to bump clumsily into Link. The salmon swam happily away with her bait.

Again.

"Again, Zel? Can't you ever manage to stay on your feet?"

"That would be a no." Picking up her rod, Zelda made her way to the other side of the pond and began poking at the water when a voice caught her attention.

"Sorry, but are you aware that you've got seaweed all over you?" Before Zelda could respond, a man—possibly in his twenties— reached out and took a large, dangly green thing off of her shoulder before giving her a small grin. "Did you swim here? What's your name?"

Thanking him for his kind gesture before she died of humiliation, Zelda mulled over his last question. "My name is Alanna," she lied, choosing the name of a friend of hers back from the palace not knowing exactly why. After all, she hadn't hesitated to reveal to Link her identity. Still, some things, she assessed, were better left unsaid.

"I'm Adam. This is your first time fishing, huh? It does get a little bit of getting used to." Checking the position of the sun overhead of him, he grimaced. "Hey, sorry to have to run, but I have to get back to the Village."

The Village. Kakariko Village? Near the castle!

"Wait!" Calling out before she could think, Zelda reached forward and latched onto his arm. Whirling around, Adam caught her other arm to steady her in surprise. "Whoa! Alanna, what's the matter?"

"I—" she began, before glancing over at Link. "We need to get to Kakariko Village as well. Is it possible for us to tag along?" She requested nervously, feeling justifiably awkward for asking such a request of a stranger. "I am awful with directions."

Adam tilted his head to the side. "Is that your boyfriend?"

Zelda paused, and her large, round eyes blinked a few times as if assessing the relevance factor of her relationship status. "Well, no, he's just a friend."

Giving her a warm smile, Adam nodded. "Sure, I'll take you. I don't—"

"—Who the hell are _you_?" Suddenly the aggressive blond-haired bodyguard of hers interjected rudely, stepping between the two of them and looking him up and down as if to size him up. "You know him?"

"I do not. But he says he's willing to bring us to Kakariko Village." Zelda chirped contently.

"Kakariko? That's not on our itinerary. We should be heading to Lon Lon Ranch to get us some horses. It's closer, not to mention with Epona things would be far more convenient."

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt your lover's spat, but I really have to get going. The sun's going to go down soon, and I've only got one horse anyway." Adam interrupted apologetically. He shook Zelda's hand gently, and his eyes lingered on her a moment longer than Link thought truly necessary. "Really though, it was a pleasure meeting you."

As he turned and departed, Zelda took a moment to think quietly to herself as to exactly which one of them she should have followed.

"Disgusting. It doesn't take half a brain to picture what that guy was thinking when he was watching you. We'll head to the ranch in the morning," Link said, touching her wrist gently. Suddenly, his voice got softer. "Listen, Zel, I promise I'll protect you and bring you home safe. So you don't have to worry about getting people like that to help you." Did it-? Did her heart just speed up? "In the meantime though, we're going to have to find a place to stay the night."

No, she must have imagined it.

Turning, Zelda caught sight of the large observatory that was quite hard to miss and shot him her resolve face. "We're going there. No questions asked."

After another long, arduous swim back to shore, heavily sabotaged because of her lack of endurance and ability to swim, the two of them managed to dry themselves off enough to not go dripping into the laboratory. After rapping on the door for what seemed like twenty centuries, the cranky professor cracked open the door and poked his head outside before setting eyes on Link. "And you are?"

"Excuse me, Doctor." Zelda said innocently, drawing his eyes on her as she nodded her head in a slight bow. "Would you mind if my escort and I stayed the night here? I got—well, we got lost."

The doctor's eyes widened a bit, but a smile was spread on his face. "Of course."

It took far less persuasion that Link thought was going to be involved. In fact, the professor was acting odd around Zelda. Perhaps it was because she was a woman. Or maybe it was because he recognized her…

Nevertheless, the professor had trusted her enough to even leave the grounds to stay at his niece's place, whose husband ran the Fishing Area. That night, Link took the cold, hard ground, while Zelda had been pressed by the professor to take the significantly more comfortable bed.

It took a long while before he managed to fall asleep.

It may very well have been a coincidence that that near-blind, senile, eccentric grandpa seemed to recognize Zelda, but he still had plenty of good reasons to doubt her proclaimed identity. For all he knew, she could be his granddaughter. Or daughter. However old he was. Besides, this was the only indication he'd had from anyone that potentially betrayed recognizing her, and royalty was not something easily overlooked.

Yes. She was not a Princess. But if that was so, why did he keep having this nagging feeling that she was not just some chicken farmer's daughter? Despite the voice in his head that repeated many more times than Navi on full speed when he had approached his very first vine as a child, his resolve gradually began to crumble more and more as he wanted to believe her ridiculously farfetched delusion of grandeur.

Could he trust her?

Although, trust. Trust? Trust was not a word he used very often, and for good reason. The first person he ever trusted was Saria, and he'd never forget her betrayal during their childhood when she ran off with that snotty, ill-mannered Mido.

Like a freak, Link jerked awake and abruptly into a sitting position from the ground. Zelda was nowhere in sight. The Professor was nowhere to be seen, not since he disappeared after offering his place for stay. Quietly exiting the laboratory, he suddenly wished he could find a way to discreetly run back in or find someplace to hide before he died of embarrassment.

The sky was dark, but the moon was bright and cast a white glow on their surroundings.

There was a soft, feminine voice that spoke then, muffled by the distance. Like maybe some kind of animal, a figure burst out from the water illuminated by the light, causing her skin to glisten an almost blue tone. And, if he hadn't known better, he would've mistaken her beauty and grace for a Zora.

Visibly unaware of the second party looking in, Zelda twisted her blonde hair over the nape of her neck and squeezed as much water as she could as she waded towards the shore. "Finally," she muttered, eyeing the slight redness to her skin after many minutes of violent rubbing to rend and destroy all traces of dirt. Of course, being naked in a lake was a far different experience than being in the marble bathtub she was used to, but it was definitely a good one.

Padding over to the smooth tiles of one portion of the lake, she eyed the clothes that she had spread out prior to her bath to dry after she'd washed them. And then came the flaw to her otherwise lovely plan. Not only was she now cold and wet, but so was her dress.

Ah, forethought.

An abnormal amount of rustling over the laboratory caught her by surprise and she gave out a small gasp as a response, straightening in a panic while holding the dress up against her body. None less than a red-faced Link was standing there against the wall as if pancaking himself would make him blend into it. How long had he been there? And exactly what was he _doing_? Certainly, she doubted he was there long, because she a) scoped the place before taking her clothes off and b) didn't peg Link as some perverted, peeping tom.

"Link! What on—"

"Please, hear me out," Link finally choked out when he saw that she was turning to run away from the pervert who'd been watching royalty bathing naked. He quickly took off after her, but when he saw that she had stopped he halted as well. It was called distance. Distance was important. "It—well, I saw that you were missing. I got worried. I came out looking for you. I'm sorry."

His English teacher would be so proud. Such complex sentences for a seventeen-year-old.

In one swift motion, Link pulled his green Kokiri tunic over his upper body and tossed it to Zelda in order to maintain a very big personal bubble. Fumbling with it, she managed to catch it before it fell into the lake.

It was beyond indecent for a woman, especially a princess, at a marriageable age to be seen fully unclothed by a man. Yet instead of being shocked or outraged or maybe even saddened, she was simply feeling grateful for his generous gesture.

Of course, without the ruffles of the tunic that had covered his tights, any feelings of appreciation he may have been hiding from her were left out in the open. Turning around again, she waited for him to return to the laboratory. Once she heard the soft click of the door closing from where she stood, she slipped on large, warm article of clothing over her head hastily, feeling her heart pound.

When she entered the house, she made her way over to where Link was lying on his side facing away from her. Hearing the tap-tapping of her bare feet against the cold tiles reverberating from the walls made her even more nervous. Kneeling behind him, she raised one small hand and brushed at some of the hair which had fallen onto his forehead.

"I forgive you, Link."

Silence.

She was about to crawl over to her bed when she noticed him sit up, looking away. With one strong arm he pulled her close, his lips brushing against her shockingly soft hair. When he pushed her slightly away and finally managed to raise his eyes to meet hers, she could see that he was frazzled and quite visibly embarrassed.

"Thank you," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. "I just hope you know that I would never… I wouldn't hurt you. I would never want to compromise your dignity."

Zelda raised her fingers to touch his hands. They were straddling the very fine line between close bodyguard and protective lover, and she knew it. Did he? More importantly, which did she want? "I know. You're always the one protecting me."

"Go to sleep. Tomorrow we'll see how far we can get in bringing you home."

Hmm, maybe he didn't.

Giving an almost indignant pout as she watched him lie back down with his arms crossed behind his head to serve as a pillow, she made a snap decision. Sliding her petite body next to his, she lay her head down against his shoulder and curled up against him hoping to fall into a peaceful slumber when he jerked up and scooted over several inches as if she had a plague.

"What?" She asked, startled. "What's wrong?"

A pause. What was this all of a sudden?

"Zelda." He pulled a hand up against his forehead and slid them to cover his eyes. "I love that you trust me so much, but please understand that I _am_ a man."

Oh. Oh, my.

Feeling her skin heat up, Zelda made a stuttering sound before deciding that she hadn't even formed a sentence in her head to utter out. Shifting several feet away, she bent her legs to slide under her blanket. If she was truly lucky, the ground would open and swallow her whole before she died of absolute embarrassment. A few moments elapsed, and she realized it wasn't going to happen. "I—of course. Of course. Good night."

"Listen, Zel—"

"Good _night."_

The rest of that night had been significantly less eventful. They awoke early morning to resume their journey, and around noon they found themselves in the most appalling state of lost.

The morning had been awkward. Every minute from her latest act of stupidity to this very moment had been choked with silence or rigid monosyllabic questions, answers, and responses. He had on the face of an indifferent statue, and she had a face that threatened to eat babies.

Their attempt to take a shortcut had led them directly to a discreetly hidden waterway to what _was greatly implied _to be Gerudo Valley. The mist was heavy, but by the number of skeletons suspended from wooden posts it could not have been anyplace else.

"Oh my God. I am so sorry." Link whispered, putting a hand over Zelda's for a brief moment, which broke their cooperative effort in the cold-shoulder routine as with each passing second he grew more certain of their whereabouts. "I should not have brought you here."

"I don't understa-"

Suddenly a hissing sound snaked past her neck, and Zelda gasped. It had been a dart. Link pressed down hard on her shoulder until she her face was directly in his lap as several more whizzed past them. The boat they had borrowed was eerily quiet, and Link hoped the Gerudo believed they were dead.

If they were caught, exactly that would be their imminent fate.

After several minutes were counted by with no indication of danger, Link swished the paddle in the opposite direction in hopes of flowing back safely to Lake Hylia when he felt a hand tug violently at his Goron Tunic—so much so that he was hauled over from his boat onto the perpetrator's. Zelda opened her mouth to let out a gasp, but she muffled it with both of her hands. With Link's Kokiri Tunic, she blended in with the waters and it would appear the Gerudo believed Link had been the only one there.

"What's this? A rat, is it? I'll teach leeches like you to trespass into our territory."

Link's thrashing and shouting about, combined with the paddling of the water, created enough din for Zelda to slip into the water unnoticed before attaching herself to the end of the Gerudo rowboat.

Link was in danger; there was no way on God's green earth that she was going to just let him suffer the consequences of an error performed in an attempt to bring her home.

It took a fair bit of effort staying attached to the back of the boat, but luckily the stupid redhead took no notice of the extra weight or effort. After what seemed like forever, the boat was docked and Link was literally hauled away. Once they were relatively out of earshot, Zelda quickly emerged from the water. Now she was in. Yet that had only been the easy part. What now?

"We usually do get one or two of you nosy Hylians during harvest season," Link's captor ranted and raved as she hauled him up several flights of stairs until they reached what looked like a sniper zone, only with a gigantic gaping hole in the floor.

"Jesus, you've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"Oh… _fuck_!"

Link's yell of bloody murder could be heard from a mile away as he plummeted from the uppermost window onto the cold, stone floor. The soldier above chuckled in the most unflattering away. "Your punishment will be delivered by Dilla shortly. Just stay there."

"You mean breaking half my bones isn't enough?" Link yelled back, letting out an impressive string of every curse he could think of or make up.

The door opened, and he cringed as he saw a figure come in with a frightening thick cat of nine tails. The Gerudo that had heartlessly thrown him down to his doom let out yet another chuckle, and disappeared from sight. Only after she did so, did Dilla unwind the Gerudo headpiece from her hair and face.

"Zel!"

"Shh! You trying to get us both killed? Just _look_ at this thing!" Zelda snapped, raising the whip.

"How did you?"

"Sheer force of will." Zelda replied sarcastically. "…And magic. Yes, the magic helped. Come, put this on and let's get going." Tossing him another Gerudo uniform, she gave him a sadistic smile. "I managed to take their membership cards, too. They won't just let anybody who looks like a Gerudo have access to the rest of the city."

"What?" A high-pitched squeak replaced the manly voice he had been going for. "You've got to be joking. In case you hadn't notice, neither of us have glaringly obvious red hair down to our asses. Besides, I'm too MANLY to kid them."

"That you are. But that's not going to change your temporary dress-up regime."

After grudgingly slipping into the annoyingly contour-hugging garment, Link withdrew his Hookshot from God-knows-where and placed one hand supportively around Zelda's slim waist. Her body was built so damn _daintily._ It was much slimmer and delicate compared to Malon's more curvaceous one, for example. Aiming at the wooden blinds, he shook the comparison from his brain and it took merely a second before the two of them were perched haphazardly on the ledge of the window.

"The exit is that way." Zelda whispered, gesturing to a pathway down a long flight of stairs. Link nodded, and once they got their feet back on sweet ground they passed by a herd of horses being led to the alley.

A light bulb went off in his head.

The sun had traveled a significant distance across the sky by the time they bid their sweet farewells to that torture chamber of a village. Not a good indicator of their progress, since they were still nowhere that she recognized as being near the palace. The good thing was, from her heroic rescue to now, the ice was broken and they were no longer hesitant to engage in their usual, nominal chitchat. Clearing her voice, hoping to catch Link's attention, Zelda arranged for her newly acquired horse to fall into step beside his. "Where are we headed, exactly? Do you even know?"

Suddenly, Link's horse stopped in its tracks and he gave out a grunt. "Shit! We're heading in the wrong direction."

"We? You're leading!"

"I know the way to Lon Lon Ranch from here. It may be bothersome for you, but let's stay there for the night. At least we'll have shelter." Not a far distance later, they arrived at the surprisingly familiar walls of Hyrule's main ranch.

"You certainly were not joking when you said you knew the way. And I'm positive that the castle cannot possibly be far away from here—after all, it's always within a day's walking distance for that narcoleptic milkman and his daughter."

Link cracked a grin. For a person whose speech had once been so snobby and proper, she was certainly beginning to unwind. "Have you ever met them before?"

"No. I've seen them though. Impa's always been impatient because they take so long delivering the crates." Link had dismounted his horse, so Zelda followed suit and trailed him as he entered the ranch. Once inside, Link took out a petite, beige ocarina. Surprised that he had the same instrument that she herself played, she watched as he played a simple, three-note tune.

It was kind of weird to randomly burst into melody, but whatever floats his boat.

Then, out of nowhere, a reddish-brown horse galloped towards Link. Nearly feeling the need to duck out of the way before it ran them over, she was gratified to see that the horse slowed down by itself before nuzzling Link's shirt with her nose. "Hey, Epona. That's my girl."

Zelda vaguely recalled one of the two names Link was shrieking about when they first met.

"Link!"

Her attention was stripped from the horse and turned to see a teenage redhead running towards them at full speed from the stables before flinging both arms around Link's neck. "Oh, I knew you'd come back for her. I had no idea what had happened to you! Don't worry me like that again." After she released him, she turned to Zelda and gave her a good-natured smile. "Oh! Company. Forgive my rudeness."

"Zel, this is Malon. Malon, meet Zelda."

Normally a situation such as this would have led to one awkward handshake, but Malon's friendliness radiated from her like the sun as she took her hand warmly. "Ooh, please tell me you two are staying the night."

"If it's alright with you." Link grinned. "It's great to see you again, Mal."

"You too. My goodness, Zelda, you're so beautiful. Let's get you upstairs, shall we? I can lend you some new clothes to wear so we can get those washed."

"I—thank you."

"That _is_ remarkable. You remind me of the princess back from the palace." Malon mentioned, and Zelda's eyes rose to meet hers in surprise. Malon winked back at her. "Don't worry."

"You flatter me," Zelda smiled, sending Link a coy smile before the two of them disappeared up the staircase.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There was nothing more welcoming than a warm fireplace and the heavy scent of turkey and beef stew after a grueling hour or two of hauling hay and feeding the horses in the stables.

"Wow! This smells great!"

Loping back into the house with nothing but a pair of oversized overalls, Link grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. Giggling, Malon rounded the table and aided him.

"You've really outdone yourself, my girl." Talon commented as his large mass took over one of the chairs. Malon let out another giggle.

"It wasn't all me. Zelda was a great help."

Exiting the kitchen, Zelda approached the table and slid the apron from her shoulders, giving Link a full-length view of Malon's handiwork. Nearly dropping his fork, Link left his mouth agape but managed to close it just in time to see Malon look his way. "She looks wonderful, doesn't she?"

"I—you look great." Link managed, and Malon grinned with the praise.

"I'm sorry that we don't have a whole lot of room in the ranch since my cousins are visiting," Malon began as she used the tongs to scoop some salad with cranberries onto her plate. "I suppose I could arrange to sleep with Adrienne, though."

"Honestly, Mal, don't worry about it. I've slept in the barn many times. It's a fine place to stay." Link joked. Zelda nodded her agreement. Surely she'd never slept in a barn before, but she was in the hospitality of ranchers.

"Well, if it's alright with you." Malon tilted her head to the side. "I'm so sorry, Zelda. I'll try to make it as comfortable as possible. Link, you'll be staying with her, right? I mean, I will if you won't, but it's awfully scary all the way across the ranch with the bats and the dark."

Zelda stopped chewing the piece of food she had scooped onto her plate a second ago. Another night with Link. All evening she'd been pondering what kind of relationship, exactly, did this bodyguard-hugging female with model-esque proportions have with Link? She'd wrestled with the idea that perhaps they were intimate. Perhaps that was why Link behaved the way he had back in the laboratory—out of obligation to another, not to maintain their guardian/guarded bond or ensure her safety from his raging hormones.

That possibility still remained plausible. But what kind of girlfriend would allow, and in fact encourage, nights spent with another girl. Either she was very, very stupid, or they shared an extremely strong bond of trust. Since she could not imagine this witty, painfully intelligent, talented and kind woman being the former, the latter was something she'd have to learn to accept one way or another.

She was quiet for the next couple of minutes. She was quiet for the next couple of hours. She wanted answers, but how on earth was she going to get them? And what right did she have to ask? She was a stranger among strangers.

"I can _not_ believe that the only shelter we have to offer overnight is the barn." Malon groaned in constant apology as she unlocked the empty tower on the opposite side of the ranch. Well, considering it was a cow's home, it certainly smelled more like milk and nothing else. Which, all things considered, was a very pleasant surprise.

"It's not a problem. Really. I'm just grateful for your hospitality." Zelda reassured, finally breaking out of her trance although her heart was still doing somersaults in her chest. Malon had suggested Zelda rooming with her, or booting her cousins out of their current beds, both options Link and Zelda simultaneously denied.

Link was actually quite surprised. If, and this was hypothetically-speaking, Zelda _was_ the princess, then not only was she oddly comfortable sleeping in strange places, but she was incredibly mellow and low-maintenance. Very uncharacteristic of what he expected royalty to be.

"Link, I know you're familiar with the ranch, but I must tell Zelda. There are bats everywhere around here at nighttime, which makes it quite dangerous. If you need to go anywhere, please ensure Link accompanies you." Malon said as she bustled around, setting up multiple blankets. Giving one last apology, she gave Link a lingering look before disappearing behind the door where her stallion was patiently waiting.

Zelda turned to find Link staring at her again. "What is it?" She asked finally, after a half-minute staring contest had ensued. Exhaling, Link looked away sharply, pulled off his hood and began aggressively running his fingers through his hair.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing. Tell me."

He hadn't wanted to admit it, but looking the way she did right now, even adorned only in Malon's handmade gowns and beads, did she look beautiful enough to be a princess. Plus, the comment that Malon had made before dinnertime about Zelda and royalty had not gone undetected. "I've just been thinking about how much… that is, how much less of a peasant you look now that you're out of those old clothes of yours."

Zelda made a face, but allowed a smile. "I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted. Alanna made those clothes for me. She's the daughter of one of my seamstresses, and is my dearest friend in the palace." She looked down at herself as she unhooked Malon's jewelry. "I'd much rather have them back, since I don't want to sleep in Malon's best clothes. But she'd taken them from me to wash."

Without another word, a red tunic came flying in her direction. Giving him a warm smile she stepped behind the milk crates to change. It wasn't as if she was unaware of how scanty she must look. But what other choice did either of them honestly have? She couldn't very well ask him for his pants. Stepping back out, she tried very hard to ignore the look that Link was trying intensely to keep from giving her.

His tunic did very well to reveal her long, slender arms and legs; this made his eyes unexpectedly linger in all the strangest places. Coughing gruffly, Link lay down on one of the blankets that Malon had placed side by side and folded one half over him to serve as a blanket

It was a warm night.

Lying down on her blanket, Zelda decided not to cover just yet and instead closed her eyes until her back adjusted to the hard floor.

There was a hesitant pause. "Good night, Zel."

"Sweet dreams."

…

One hour?

Two hours?

How long had it been? In reality, it had only been ten or fifteen minutes, but it felt like days were passing without any sign of sunlight.

Link lay there, looking up at the ceiling. God knew he couldn't go to sleep, not when the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on was lying less than a meter away from him. Even in the darkness, asleep, without layers of makeup or pretty clothing like most women, Zelda looked gorgeous. Was it okay to have feelings like this when you were…?

Of course it was natural. He was a perfectly healthy adolescent male, and she was an extremely well-endowed, gorgeous female. Silently, he leaned over to her stretched out blanket and raised a hand. Using his index finger, he slid it down one side of her face, trying to wrestle with his feelings. There was undeniable sexual tension in the air between the two of them. On the one hand, not even he understood why Malon allowed the both of them to stay overnight together. On the other, it was very like her to do.

Zelda opened her eyes from his touch, and her amazing blue eyes caught his attention immediately. And that was his threshold. Unable to hold it in much longer than that, he leaned on one elbow and kissed her.

This wasn't like any other kiss that he'd ever had before. It wasn't fiery or passionate, but rather it was serene and he felt—oh, oh my. This was not a good sign.

Zelda seemed to be appreciate it equally as much. For all he knew, this was the first time she'd ever kissed someone, but if that was the case then damn. The curves of her body slid perfectly as she pressed against his, and while one hand ran through her thick hair the other began sliding down the length of her body.

Reaching up underneath his tunic, his heart pounded harder as he began to caress her soft breasts. God, they felt amazing. It had been such a long time since—

Zelda's steady hand halted him. Thinking he had taken things way too far way too fast, Link hastily told himself to calm down, and fast.

"What's Malon to you?"

The question came out of nowhere, but not completely unexpected. The inquiry cut through his hormones like a knife. Swallowing hard, guilt almost immediately dropped on him as he realized he was doomed to answer her.

"Link?" Zelda prodded gently, her earnest face open with vulnerability and honesty.

"Malon is…" Link exhaled. What was he going to say? He _could_ say that they were cousins. Relatives. Family friends. But somehow, looking into her eyes, he couldn't lie to her. "Malon's my fiancée."

There was an abrupt silence, and Link could've sworn he could have cut the tension with a knife. Then set it on fire, then tossed it over the fence. Unfortunately, that was not quite the case.

"Oh. I see. Good night." Rolling over, Zelda's back faced him as she curled up and closed her eyes, pulling half of her blanket over her. The gesture was one which increased the physical gap between the two of their blankets.

Sighing, Link turned over and pulled his own blanket over his head.

Malon, huh?

-.-.-.-.-

"So, you'll be riding with Link then?" Malon inquired cheerfully that next morning as she placed the steaming plate of French toast and scrambled eggs in front of her. Upon mention of Link and her together in the same sentence, Zelda jolted to attention, her knee banging ungracefully against the leg of the table.

"What riding?" Zelda blurted out, "there will _be_ no riding!" It took about three seconds before her misinterpretation sunk in. "I mean not right now."

Malon blinked at her, and smiled. "Well, I was referring to your departure, but in any event you'd best hurry. He's already preparing Epona for the remainder of his little exploration."

In the most unladylike fashion, Zelda gobbled up her food considering how famished she felt for some odd reason. Malon sat down on the opposite side of the table and watched her, amused. "Your night wasn't too bad, was it? In hindsight, I feel horrible for letting royalty sleep on the same floor as the cows. And with a man, none less."

Zelda almost expected herself to choke, but luckily she did not. "Please, Malon. The last I want to hear from you is an apology. I am the one who imposed myself without a minute's notice. If anything, I sincerely thank you for your hospitality. When I return home, I promise I'll give Link enough recompense to repay you, as well."

"Oh, don't you dare!" Malon exclaimed, when the door came swinging open and Link entered. Too embarrassed to even look at Zelda, he grabbed the crust from her toast and popped it into his mouth.

"Hey!" Zelda exclaimed, momentarily forgetting their mutual silence.

"Epona's all saddled and ready." Link said awkwardly, before turning to Malon. "I can't thank you enough for everything, Mal. I'll see you again soon."

"I know." Malon smiled, and kissed him lightly on the cheek before moving away to clear Zelda's plates. Trying not to sit in awkward silence, Zelda bounded to her feet and grabbed Link by the sleeve.

"You should stay here. I know it must be hard for you to leave her again after just seeing her again. I could always just get directions from Talon and make it back to the palace on my own."

Link's eyebrows raised in surprise at the suggestion, and for a second he hesitated as to what to say next. "What are you saying?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Is this a joke?"

His response surprised Zelda. "No, I just—"

"C'mon Zel, let's not have a reenactment of the night we met, shall we. They last thing I want is for you to get lost on my watch." He paused. "Besides, I really don't mind being with you. And I have to go to Kakariko Village also, so it's… it's not really out of my way."

"Ooh, you 'don't mind' being with me. That sounds sweet." Zelda said sarcastically, but Link could tell she was already getting over last night. A smile was spreading on her face.

"Fine," he said exasperatedly with a grin of his own. "I like travelling with you. We're a good team."

"This is true," Zelda said thoughtfully. "If I hadn't been there, that Gerudo would have kicked your ass. And God knows what else."

"See? It's language like _this_ which is why I just don't believe you could possibly be royalty." Link snickered, taking her wrist. "C'mon, let's go find Epona."

Once the two of them had mounted the auburn mare, Zelda could plainly see the castle in the distance. Her grip tightened around Link's waist, and she buried her face in his back. Slowing down, Link turned to peer over his shoulder to peer over at her. "Zel?" He asked softly, "what's the matter?"

She wanted to go home. She _had_ wanted to go home so, so badly. But now, all she wanted in the world was to be with him for just a while longer. And yes, she knew that it was sinful for her to feel this way for an engaged man, just as scandalous as it was for a princess to feel for anyone less than wealthy and/or influential.

"I came out of the palace so that I could see Hyrule." Zelda murmured, trying her best to sidestep around the real reason for wanting to stay. "That is, may I go to Kakariko Village with you?"

There was a temporary silence, and for a second Zelda actually thought Link would say no, but then Epona turned direction an began heading for the bridge that led to the village. "Well, you can," Link said quietly, "but you probably won't be too eager to follow me this time. I mean, I'm going to be spending my time in the Graveyard."

The Graveyard. Actually, this would be a good opportunity. "I'd actually like to visit it too," Zelda murmured. She wouldn't be able to bring flowers or fresh fruit to the grave, but she could still pay her respect.

She felt a pang of guilt in her chest when the two of them entered the graveyard. Surely, this was not the first time either of them had arrived at this destination, and despite her insisting to come, she felt a certain feeling of dread. Leaving Link's side so he could go do whatever he had come to do, she set down the path to the far side of the graveyard where the tombstone of the royal family stood.

It hadn't been until she actually reached it, however, did she notice that Link had been right behind her the whole time. When he fell into step beside her, he gave her a confused look. "Do you have business with this spot too?"

"Well, yes. What about you?"

Then came the other realization. The one where the tombstone wasn't actually there.

"Damn, looks like someone's already been in. Let's hope he didn't damage what it is I'm here to get." With that, he anxiously leapt down. But Zelda hadn't jumped in right away. She was looking at the red sky angrily.

This was ridiculous. Who? What soulless creature had the gall to demolish the tomb and ransack such a noble man's restless place? Granted, her current guardian just leapt in for God-knows-what reason also. What was so precious that was down there? She had commissioned for the far end of the graveyard and for the tomb's materials herself, so they should've been far from easily destroyed.

Squatting on the ground, she kissed her fingertips and pressed them lightly on the soil. "Forgive this intrusion, my love."

Link didn't attempt to keep the impatience from his voice as she came tumbling down the hole. "It took you long enough." He lit a torch, and once he had, Zelda couldn't refrain from letting out a strangled cry. She had expected to land on the coffin of her loved one. She had not expected an entire underground mausoleum. Bones littered the smooth ground. Just how many people had _tried_ to rob this tomb?

More importantly, what had stopped them?

Link managed to wrench a door open, but when she joined him by his side, he put one arm protectively in front of her. "No! Stay back, Zel!"

Moaning.

And then the door shut loudly behind them.

Zelda dropped to her knees as the putrid stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils and put her instantly at the risk of revisiting her breakfast from that morning. Yet it wasn't the fact that she was facing dangerous, decayed and quasi-limbless bodies that caused her convulsive sobbing.

It was _who_ these dangerous, decayed and quasi-limbless bodies were.

Link immediately readied his bow as they slowly turned their heads and noticed their presence. At this range, he couldn't miss.

Fortunately for her, the arrow appeared to have absolutely no effect on the ReDead other than deterring it from molesting Link by essentially humping him to death. Instead, it walked distractedly another direction with an arrow stuck in one of its empty eye sockets

Hmm. What a charming creature.

"Link! Don't you dare kill him, I'm warning you!" Zelda shrieked adamantly, and in seconds hurtled past him towards the Redead. Lunging forward and catching her by the wrist just in time to save her from being targeted, Link violently tanked her backwards into the safety of his arms. He enveloped her tightly against his chest as she wrestled aggressively to get free with a strength he almost refused to believe was coming from such a tiny person.

"Have you lost your mind?" He yelled angrily. "Those are dead corpses you're planning on running into! Do you have some sort of masochistic death wish? Hey!"

"He's Rene's youngest brother!" Zelda shrieked equally as loudly as she whipped away from him. "Link, please, his honor is something to protect—how could you think of harming a soldier who died so bravely? And why are we inside this mausoleum to begin with? It's disrespectful, and it's blasphemy!"

"You and your superstitions. There's a rumor about this grave, and that is precisely what I need to get from it." Link responded, clearly preoccupied for a former thought. "And who is this Rene guy, anyway?"

"'This grave was specifically built for members of the Royal Family! Why are you performing this sacrilegious act? Have you no respect?"

"I need to get a chord." Link glared, before hesitating. "Wait, just _who_ is this Rene?"

"We leave. Now. I shouldn't have come here. _You_ shouldn't have come here."

"For goodness' sake, Zel, won't you just _tell_ me?"

Zelda's eyebrows knitted together in agitation. Sure, she was flattered that he was being so jealous over her knowing another man, but you'd think he'd be a tad bit nicer about it. "Who else do you think? Rene! Rene, of the Royal Family? The heir? Rene Scion, my late fiancé!"

"Fi... fian..." Link echoed, his voice dead. It was as if he was having trouble registering her words. He _was_ having trouble registering her words. Zelda grabbed onto him. "We're leaving this tomb. _I_ will teach you what you wish to learn."

Not even waiting for an answer, Zelda scaled up the ladder on the wall six feet up.

It was none of his business.

It was definitely none of his business.

Yet why the hell was he so pissed off about it?

Unable to refrain from asking for very much longer, Link kicked at the dirt as they silently made their way towards the center of Kakariko Village. The pair of them had stayed eerily silent since the whole dead-or-alive ordeal. "Before… you said that this Rene guy was your… _fiancé_?" He hesitated. "But you're way too young to have had an engagement!"

"Not according to my father. Besides, I'm no younger than you are, and it oh-so-happens to be that you think _you_ are old enough to have wedding plans with Malon." Zelda countered, causing Link's gaze to immediately drop. So he _was_ embarrassed about it. Good, let him sweat. "Why does it even matter? Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous. I am more responsible than _that_." Link replied as nonchalantly as he could manage. As they left the foot of Death Mountain, they were embraced by the wide outskirts of Hyrule Field once again. Link could almost see the palace in the distance. Suddenly, his body felt heavy. It was getting dark, so they had the excuse to at least spend one more night together. But after that, it was literally the end of the road. He didn't quite want to say goodbye just yet. But only because traveling with company was far better than traveling on one's own.

"Zelda, you know that Hyrule Castle is nearby, don't you?" Link began despite a fierce vow to bite his tongue and keep quiet. "This will be our last night together."

The increasingly easy-on-the-eyes princess whirled around to face him, her eyes shining open-eyed in shock. After registering the sincerity of the question, a bright smile spread across her lips. "Is that sadness I detect in your voice? What a change of heart."

At that, Link couldn't help but snort. "It was my pleasure, Princess."

Zelda's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she cocked her head to one side. "What, so you believe me now? Now, when I'm wearing nothing but a man's shirt and old underwear?"

Mounting Epona, he shot her a rare smile before trotting off. "Maybe."

"Hey, Link?" Zelda called. Turning, he stared down at her quizzically. "Uh, Zel?"

"I told you I'd repay you at the castle. And you _will_ be paid. But as a hors d'oeuvre, I shall give this to you." Grinning, she twirled her finger in the air and droplets of metallic blue shine trailed her movement until the mythical Ocarina of Time dropped softly into the palm of her hand with a swirl of multicolored dust. "Here."

"What?" Link asked, feeling himself edge away from her and the object. Even if he hadn't grown to believe Zelda was the princess before, he certainly had no reason to disbelieve it now. "That's a family heirloom! I can't take that!"

"Why not? It was entrusted to me to do what I found best-suited. And I find no better hands for it to be in than the only other Hylian boy whom I've ever found tolerable."

Only other.

So Rene was a Hylian.

Although in retrospect, of course he must've been, because there was no way the King would betroth his daughter to a Zora or a Goron. But still, Link had to refrain from making a sour face.

"This is the Sun Song."

Zelda sat down on the grass and lay back to gaze up at the sky. Following suit, Link close his eyes as the breeze swirled around tendrils of her hair against him. He was dead tired. He'd tried to keep his mind off of impertinent information, no matter how much he chastised himself his thoughts always found themselves wandering off.

Rene Scion. The name just wouldn't leave his mind.

He was nothing more than a lowly swordsman, and a wanderer at that—so he had never much of a chance to catch wind of anything about him. Yet the name seemed oddly familiar. Not that it shouldn't be, after all he was the son of a powerful man.

"He treated me well." Zelda murmured, her soft voice entering his ear and making his body tingle. It was as if she read off his mind exactly what he was thinking. Rolling over to face her, Link raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"You have this look." Zelda slurred, allowing a tired half-smile as she shifted a tired, lazy-eyed gaze in his direction. "You had it on your face when I mentioned Rene this afternoon, too. A look that tells me you want to know more about him, if you could."

Link just made a face and turned back around to gaze at a bunny shaped fluff in the sky.

Silence.

"Did you love him?" He asked finally. He could tell Zelda was on the verge of sleep. It was rude to keep distracting her, but he couldn't help himself from asking.

Silence.

"Yes," she said finally, "I suppose I must have loved him."

Feeling his own eyes dim, Link looked away, suddenly very distracted in the blades of grass on the other side of him.

"… In a way that a younger sister must feel for her older brother, I suppose…" Zelda continued, before she drifted off in fatigued slumber. He watched her body steadily rise and fall with each breath, and knew instantly she was definitely asleep. Taking his last tunic, he draped it over her body, and studied her face.

"I love you, Zelda."

Her eyes shot open and—doing a perfect imitation of his response back in the laboratory—scooted over several inches in alarm. He could barely think over the hyperactive pounding in his chest and her heavy breathing.

"I love you too, Link." She replied finally, before she fell silent. "But your loyalty is to Malon, and mine to my father's will. I can't do this." Zelda began, when she noticed how irresponsible it was to confess. "She let you stay with me in good faith. She trusts you. And she's treated me with great care; I cannot do this to her and neither should you."

Sitting up stiffly, Link pocketed the Ocarina. "No, I suppose not. Come on. Let's get you back."

The two of them mounted Epona again in silence, and counted the number of trots Epona took to reach the castle.

And then, there they were.

Walking up and touching the long chains that held the pathway over the moat, Zelda let out a sigh. So she was here at last.

"Zel?"

Turning to face him, she was surprised by the rough hand of her protector as he lifted her chin and kissed her. She used to roll her eyes and all the sentimental stories Alanna would bellyache about regarding one relationship or another and all the feelings she'd felt, but this was no comparison.

"Go." He whispered softly, touching his lips to her forehead.

This was where she belonged.


End file.
